Fancy a case of wine?

From which vintage is this DRC-assortiment?

The Romanée-Conti ( 4th from the left ) is by far the most expensive and most famous burgundy of the world, but La Tache or Richebourg can be excellent as well.

Best wishes

Manfred

Manfred,

They're 1990, hence the price. But the provenance is impeccable, hence the labels/levels (we opened the case at the client's request, as it had just been shipped by courier).

He wanted as much Romanee Conti AC 1990 as we could find. Which was all 7 of the bottles available on the market (globally). This caisse assortiment was the only way of securing an eighth bottle, so he asked us to get it for him.

Apart from his desire to spend life-altering amounts of money on wine to drink (rather than for investment), he is quite a philanthropist - unlike some of these mega-rich - so no condemnation from me.

Hi Rod,

many years ago I bought an 1978 DRC assortiment ( 12 bottles ). The price was 2000 DM. Over the years, I drunk up all bottles ( they were delicious ) except the Romanée-Conti.

A few years later, a wine trader made me an offer: 3000 DM for this last bottle. I could not resist, I sold it to him: twelve bottles bought, eleven drunk, and 1000 DM profit, not bad.

On the other side, nowadays 1500 Euro = 3000 DM for a Romanée-Conti 1978 is far to cheap, but my cellar was not cold enough to store it a very long time.

Best wishes

Manfred

Wow Rod!

This certainly puts my one bottle of 1996 Michele Chiarlo's 'Cerequio' that I've been keeping in the bottom of a cupboard into perspective.

I hope your manager gave you a bottle of something half-decent to take home. (Er, perhaps you are the manager?!)

Best,
Chris

Je m'en vie...

Mike, you should say:
Je vous envie

Crikey. I could house 50 desperately poor families for that much.

A true statement no doubt Sniper but how is it helpful within the context of this thread? Is your statement a criticism of the inevitable inequalities of outcome that a market economy produces? And if so, can you propose a better system?

Regards, Chris

quote:

Originally posted by Christopher_M:
A true statement no doubt Sniper but how is it helpful within the context of this thread? Is your statement a criticism of the inevitable inequalities of outcome that a market economy produces? And if so, can you propose a better system?

Regards, Chris

Exactly. The wine is nothing compared to the costs involved in their new home. As I said, this chap is intent on giving away a lot of money, although he's obviously keen on spending it also.
Governments should solve poverty problems. On an individual level him spending thousands on bottles of wine, or hundreds of millions on a super-yacht, is not significantly different to my spending €50 on a meal out, relatively speaking.

All - of course - obscene when people are dying for want of enough to eat and from wholly curable diseases, but the two things are not precisely dependent on one another.

The collapse of global capitalism and market economies would hinder the process of alleviating global poverty, not help it.
The mega-rich are an inevitable by-product of the former, and this particular one is a good guy I believe.

Although I particularly like him because this wine order in total came to more than €300k (about the same as a full tank of fuel for that thing), and yes Chris, I am the manager, but the whole team is being looked after, bonus-wise.

But aren't the labels boring? And what happens if one of them's corked?

(God, how I'd love to try a glass of that stuff...)

quote:

Originally posted by Christopher_M:
A true statement no doubt Sniper but how is it helpful within the context of this thread? Is your statement a criticism of the inevitable inequalities of outcome that a market economy produces? And if so, can you propose a better system?

Regards, Chris

Well I live in a particularly corrupt third world country so suggesting a better system is relatively simple. As for how helpful my comment was in context of this thread it depends on the reader. Personally I think spending that kind of money on something that will become urine and flushed down a toilet while kids are starving in Africa is obscene in the extreme. I do not begrudge the man his millions especially if he is a philanthropist - his money is entirely his business as long as he obtained it legally and I wish him well. I would love to live in the south of france and I would love to collect wine - a most interesting an enjoyable hobby but even if I had billions I would not indulge in those kinds of prices - there is so much more joy to be had from giving orphans a day at the seaside or providing them with much needed medical care and seeing them getting well.

quote:

Well I live in a particularly corrupt third world country so suggesting a better system is relatively simple.

And that better system which reduces or eliminates the inevitable outcomes of income that a market economy produces would be what exactly?

Chris

R it iN A boOOoK?

quote:

Originally posted by rodwsmith:
I sold this mixed case today.

€56,000.00 - bargain.

Well worth it for the Romanee-Conti alone, I'm very jealous.
Glad it went to someone who will drink it and enjoy it.

It is fun to be rich.

quote:

Originally posted by Christopher_M:

quote:

Well I live in a particularly corrupt third world country so suggesting a better system is relatively simple.

And that better system which reduces or eliminates the inevitable outcomes of income that a market economy produces would be what exactly?

Chris

Well a better system would be one more like the kind of system enjoyed by europeans. Especially a system where there are (relatively) free and fair elections, where a good education is available free, where there are separations of powers, where corrupt politicians can be hounded in the press and brought to book, where local mayors are not demi Gods with powers to fire the chief of police and local judges etc etc. etc. I know where you are trying to take this - you have an agenda that is plain to see. I am not against capitalism per se but I am against crime and corruption. Many of those so vulgar as to spend that kind of money on wine and yachts are Russian oligarchs and much of the wealth has been obtained illegally.

quote:

Many of those so vulgar as to spend that kind of money on wine and yachts are Russian oligarchs and much of the wealth has been obtained illegally.

And before the fall of Communism they did this under the likes of Breshnev. No system is without the rich and influencial. The difference is the nature of the greasy pole, rather than that some people will inevitably climb it ...

The poor will always be with us ... and so will the rich.

ATB from George

We sell cheap wine as well!

I never meant to start a political thread, although it seems round here as though there is no choice nowadays.

I was just proud of having sold some of the world's rarest wine, and impressed by the condition of the 20 year old bottles enough to want to share it.

I sell stuff to the very rich, amongst a wider clientele. So, almost by definition, does Naim Audio. This seems like a very odd place for people continually to get on their high horses.

I have actually tried DRC once (not that vintage though). Wasn't 'all that' I seem to recall, although I don't really know quite what I was expecting. A tasting of Comte de Vogüé wines given by Jean-Luc Pépin that I attended once was a revelation though - as great as first hearing music played on really good hi-fi, or indeed an orchestra in the flesh.

But then, I love wine.

Money better spent on wine than bear paw, tiger penis, rhino horn, etc. which I understand might be equivalents in more exotic (and corrupt) climes.

Not a big fan of the Burgundies, but a former boss who was a Chevalier du Tastevin did his best to convert me. Was very fortunate to sample some very nice wine, but at the price point it was never going to float my boat.

It's stonking hot this morning, am off on the bike and the drink I am most looking forward to is a Rußnmaß (wheat beer shandy)

[QUOTE]
I sell stuff to the very rich, amongst a wider clientele. So, almost by definition, does Naim Audio. This seems like a very odd place for people continually to get on their high horses.

Doesn't it?

Righteous, holier than thou, Listen to me me me!

lot of it about here sadly.

I would love to taste that wine. But even more to have a play on the yacht. Looked more like a cruise ship though to my inexperienced eye.

quote:

Originally posted by rodwsmith:
I sell stuff to the very rich, amongst a wider clientele. So, almost by definition, does Naim Audio. This seems like a very odd place for people continually to get on their high horses.

You would think so wouldn't you, but hey.

rodwsmith,

Staying with the wine/hi fi comparison, where to you see the dreaded diminishing returns? I love Burgundy myself and really enjoy exploring albeit at somewhat more modest prices.

But I do think the value/quality level rises quite sharply and although say, £7 - £10 buys some very enjoyable examples £15 - £18 gets you a truly memorable bottle.

Doesn't seem too much in the overall scheme of things, and while in France it's great fun searching out lesser known sources.

Joe

quote:

Originally posted by rodwsmith:
I was just proud of having sold some of the world's rarest wine, and impressed by the condition of the 20 year old bottles enough to want to share it.

... and I appriciate you sharing it, a fascinating lot you put together.

I'd not intended this to be a political thread either, I have no agenda. I saw the thread more as a celebration of excellence and a celebration of the very existence if you like, of some of the world's rarest and greatest wine, which I think the tone of my first post shows. But I couldn't let Sniper's original comment go unchallenged.

And when pushed, I'd go as far as to suggest that the expertise in producing these DRC wines have a positive knock on effect in the whole wine industry, improving the quality of the five pound bottles I buy from the supermarket. Much like the way my 5 series stuff has some of the 'ancestral DNA' of the 500 series.

As for tasting these DRC wines, well they're wines, and IMO like any wine, who you're tasting them with is at least as important as what you're tasting.

Cheers, Chris